This invention relates to dissipating heat from a semiconductor chip package mounted on a printed circuit board, such as in a computer system.
Heretofore, the problem of dissipating heat from a semiconductor chip package mounted on a printed circuit board has been widely recognized and a number of solutions have been implemented. The most common solution has been to mount a heat sink on a surface of the chip package spaced from the printed circuit board and provide thermal communication between the chip package and the heat sink. Heat is then transferred from the heat sink through radiation or convection, either to the surrounding environment or to a circulating fluid such as air (propelled by a fan) or liquid (in a heat pipe or circulated by a pump). Such solutions have been effective for the thermal demands placed by semiconductor chips up until recent times.
However, as power consumption for semiconductor chips, and particularly central processor chips for personal computer systems including desktop and notebook systems, has increased, the heat generated by such chips and requiring dissipation has risen. This has generated a need for a better and more effective heat dissipation solution.